


To Love a Ninja: Raphael's Story

by LibraryRose



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012)
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, M/M, Mutant Reader, Other, Self-Insert, gender neutral reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-20
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-03-21 20:10:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13748361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LibraryRose/pseuds/LibraryRose
Summary: Your mentor is gone, kidnapped by the Kraang. When you are mutated into a turtle, you are taken in by the fabled Ninja Turtles. You've chosen Raphael to guard you day and night, at least until the retro-mutagen can be formulated.Raphael is volatile and as wild as fire. He’s intimidating, sarcastic and makes fun of you...a lot. Still, underneath his crude nature is a kind and passionate heart. And as you start to fall for him you stand to lose more than just your mentor.And as the saying goes: If you play with fire you’re gonna get burned.





	1. Chapter 1

 

* * *

**The Prologue**

* * *

 

* * *

You woke up in an unfamiliar place with your hands bound together at your wrists, suspended by a meat hook over a vat of glowing green stuff. Your first instinct was to try and wriggle yourself free but you fought against it, hanging the air was a lot better than falling into whatever that green crap was. You decided to calm yourself by recounting the events that lead you to your current situation.

That night you had been snooping around your mentor’s office, looking for clues about his mysterious disappearance. He was one of many scientists to go missing in the past month, and when you called the police they basically told you to shove off with their token answer of “we’ll look into it”.

Unable to wait for the cops, you decided to investigate on your own, which lead your mentor’s lab where you were attacked and captured by several armed robots. You stood no chance of escaping even if you did know how to fight, which you didn’t. You took a blow to the back of the head and passed out.

That explained being tied up but not the green vat of glowing liquid beneath you. The swirling hues of blue and green captured your attention, it was soothing in a way, like a lava lamp. You shook away that thought, what were you thinking? That stuff was probably as acidic as it smelled. You tried to move but your body wouldn’t respond which told you that you’d been hanging there for quite a long time.

“Sorry, professor.” You said. “I really wanted to help you.” You said. The professor had been like a father to you since you’d come to know him three years ago. You were fascinated by his teachings and decided to apprentice under him, follow in his footsteps. You wanted to help people, cure them, and do something good for humanity. So much for that dream.

“Kraang, tell Kraang that the one called _____ is in the state known as being awake.” You heard a robotic voice say. Glancing around you found the source of the voice, it had come from one of the two robots, standing beside the vat of green stuff.

“Let me go, you overgrown tin cans!” you yelled and the Kraang bots, as you cleverly called them, drew two odd looking guns and aimed them at you. You swallowed against the lump in your throat, perhaps name-calling wasn’t the best way to handle your situation. “Or you know, I can totally hang around if you want.”  

“If you can make lame jokes then I guess your fine.” You heard as a new person entered the room, you felt a sense of relief as you recognized them. It was Irma, a girl you knew from school, she was always hanging around with April and Casey.

“Irma! Thank god, help me.” You said and it dawned on you that if Irma was your savior then surely the Kraang bots would be bothered by her presence.  

“Help you?” Irma said, “No, you have it backwards. You are going to help me.” She said. “You are going to help me destroy the Ninja Turtles.

“What? Are you crazy? The Ninja Turtles? They are a myth.”  You said. “You honestly think there are humanoid turtles running around protecting the city?” You said. “Next you’re gonna tell me that there’s a giant alligator living in the sewers.” you scoffed.

“It doesn’t matter what you believe because you are going to help me whether you want to or not.” Irma said.

“Why the hell would I help you?” you asked and without missing a beat Irma’s body unfolded like one of those paper fortunetellers, revealing her true form. In the center of her robot body was a pink brain, like the ones sitting inside the other robots.

“I am Kraang Prime, the ultimate life form and I will compensate you for your cooperation.” He said.

“No way!” you struggled, even if the turtles weren’t real, you knew that they were the good guys, you weren’t about to help the enemy. “Nothing you can offer me will make me help you.”

“Is that so? What if I offer to return your mentor to you?” He said and it struck a nerve with you. The professor helped you when no one else would, you basically owed him your life. What could you do but agree?

“Fine.” You said "What do I have to do?" You asked.

"That's the easy part.” Kraang said then turned toward the two robots next to him. “Add the turtle DNA to the formula.” He said.

You watched as one of the Kraang bots added some sort of serum to the green stuff you were hanging over. When it was done, Kraang Prime yanked a lever protruding from a computer next to the vat and you began to descend toward the green stuff.

“Hey, can we talk about this.” You said. “don't you think I will do a better job if I am alive?”

“Don't worry, we aren't going to kill you.” Kraang Prime said. “Though, this process will make you want to die.” He laughed and watched with joy as you were submerged.   

It had the consistency of Jell-O only it ate away at your body like acid. You screamed, allowing the green stuff to find its way into your mouth where it made its way into your lungs. There you were caught between drowning and being burned alive, and you felt like your whole body was being ripped to shreds.

After a few moments the pain began to subside and found that the rope that had previously bound you had disintegrated and you were able to swim to the top of the vat. You pulled yourself over the rim and were sent tumbling to the ground at Kraang’s feet. 

You coughed up what remained of the green stuff and pushed yourself up off the ground.

No! You changed your mind, your mentor had always told you to fight for what was right. He wouldn’t want to be saved at the cost of you losing yourself.

Kraang looked down at you and smiled, and you instantly hated that smile. Adrenaline coursed through your body and you jammed an elbow into Kraang’s pink face. He squealed and fell back, giving you a chance to run, which you gladly took.

“After that them!” you heard Kraang prime say but something in that green stuff must have done something to you, you felt light on your feet and stronger. Spurred on by this fact you made your way out of the warehouse and through the streets of New York.  You hurried through alley ways and familiar back streets in order to lose the Kraang bots that were after you.

After a few moments, once you were sure you had lost them you slumped against a wall behind a dumpster. With the adrenaline rush over you couldn’t find the energy to move anymore. Hopefully you’d be safe until you woke again.

Then the world went black.

* * *

 “Hey, guys look.” You heard a faint voice between your bouts of consciousness. “It’s a mutant turtle.” Said the voice.

“Are they alive?” asked another voice, this one dripping with authority

 “I think so.” The first voice said.

 “Mikey, don’t touch them.” Another voice, this one was gentler than the others.

 “Let’s bring them back to the lair” the voice belonging to Mikey said

 At this point you were coherent enough to push yourself up off the ground. You glanced around and discovered that you were in the middle of an alleyway surrounded by, four mutant turtles. You couldn’t believe it. It was them, they did exist. “The Ninja Turtles.” You said.

 “How do you know about us?” the authoritarian turtle asked, his eyes were cautious and you could tell he wouldn’t settle for anything less than the truth.

“There are rumors floating around about you guys but no one believes them.” You said. “I didn’t… at first. I mean come on, four crime-fighting humanoid turtles. It’s a little ridiculous.”

 “Ridiculous?” the red banded turtle, who hadn’t said a word since you woke up Said.  “You’re one to talk.” 

 “What does that mean?” you asked, bristling at the challenging air he was giving off. You pointed at him, insult at the ready but it died in your throat when you noticed the shade of your skin. Your arm was green and scaly, you followed the length of your arm back toward your body and shot to your feet. In addition to your green arms you had two legs to match and a vibrant unmarred plastron.

Your breath began to quicken as you ran a hand around to your back to feel a hard substance. Oh no. You ran toward a window in the alley and caught your reflection. You touched your face. You were half turtle and half human.   “I’m a… I’m a turtle.” You said.

“You mean you didn’t know?” the gentle voice asked, his worry filled eyes hidden beneath a purple mask.

“No, this isn’t right. What the heck was in that stuff?” you felt a panic run through you, everything crashed in around you, your lost mentor, the transformation, the discovery of the Ninja Turtles. You felt dizzy and before another moment passed you fainted, but not before you heard the blue banded turtle say.

“Nice going, Raph.”

* * *

When you woke up, you discovered that you were on a sofa in the middle of an abandoned subway station. Everything about the place felt homey, welcoming and warm, well, except for the smell.

 Suddenly, the sofa dipped behind you and you turned to see the only turtle you could identify, “Mikey.” The way he was smiling seemed to make you feel secure. Like you could let all of your stress melt away. 

“How’d you guess my name?” he asked.

“I heard the blue turtle say it.” You said.

“Mikey, give them some space.” Speak of the devil.

“Sorry about that.” Said the turtle in blue. “I know this is a lot to take in but you don’t have to worry, we’re the good guys. We’ll help you.” He said. “My name is Leonardo.”

“Leo-nardo.” You tested his name on your lips and he smiled. “The red turtle, as you would put it, is Raphael.” He said, “He’s got something he wants to say to you.” Leonardo said, but the tone of his voice told you there was a threat hidden behind his words.

Raphael grumbled and came forward. “Sorry.” He said but you didn’t remember him doing anything that he needed to apologize for. Still you accepted his apology with a nod.

“Hi, I’m Donatello.” The purple banded turtle said. “Am I right to assume that, given the fact that you didn’t realize that you were a turtle, you were once human?” Donatello asked.

“Yeah. Then I fell into this green Jell-O stuff and when I woke up I was like this.” You said, unsure of just how much to tell them. Would they help you if they knew that Kraang had done this to you or would they assume you were up to something. You couldn't risk it so you didn't disclose any more.

 “Fascinating.” He said and you were kind of put off by it but ignored it, he was obviously “Fascinated” for science reasons. “Well, don’t worry, I am working on a retro-mutagen, it should change you back.” He said. That was good to hear.

“Nice to meet you all. My name is ____.”  you said 

“Well, _____ welcome to our humble home.” You turned around to see another mutant, this one was a rat, and looking into his eyes you could see just how wise this one was. “My name is Hamato, Yoshi.” He gave a bow. “You may call me Splinter.”

“Hello, Splinter.” You said then turned toward Donatello. “How long will the retro-mutagen take?” you asked, you wanted to be human again as soon as possible.

Donatello rubbed his hand over the back of his smooth head, he was wearing a guilty look. “It’s still in the early stages of development.”

“How early?” you asked.

“Research.” He admitted.

You felt your heart drop at that simple word. “What am I supposed to do? I can’t go home like this.” You said. “I’ll be locked up, or worse! Experimented on.” The panic in your voice cause each of the turtles to take a step toward you. You could only guess that they knew what you were feeling. You felt guilty for panicking when they were probably stuck in turtle form indefinitely.

“Calm yourself.” Splinter said. “I suggest that you stay here with us until we can deal with your situation.” He said. “That is, if you want to.”

“Thank you for your kind offer.” You said, “But I don’t think…” you trailed off as something crossed your mind. The turtles could change you back and then you could work on rescuing your mentor.  “Okay.” You said.

“Good, then one of my sons will be assigned to watch over you.” He said and you got the feeling that he expected you to pick one. You turned toward the four turtles.

Leonardo watch you stoically but seemed to be eager to help.

Mikey was practically jumping up and down to get your attention.

Donatello was looking at you the way your mentor looked at one of his test subjects.

Raphael had his arms crossed over his plastron, seemingly annoyed with the whole thing.

“I choose…”

 


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

**The First Chapter**

* * *

 

You glanced toward the others, unsure. Did he want you to follow him? Splinter, gave you a kind smile, answering your unspoken question. You hurried after Raphael and cringed when you heard Donatello say, in a hushed tone, “Hope she’ll be okay.”

When you reached the hall you caught Raphael ducking into his room but he left the door open for you. You felt a tinge of regret for picking the dismissive red-banded Turtle. Here you were, newly mutated and in the company of strangers, the least he could do was be a bit more hospitable. 

You sighed and crossed the hall before walking through Raphael’s door, his room was surprisingly tidy for that of a teenage boy, or turtle as it were. Along his walls were a few torn movie posters, one of which was of your favorite guilty pleasure movie. You were surprised that anyone else would even like it. That made you feel a little better. Off to the side was a drum set, and behind that was a stereo resting on a makeshift table. The aesthetic was minimalist meets grunge.

“You got a problem?” he said sharply and that’s when you noticed he’d been sitting on his bed watching you. You began to wonder if you’d made a face to warrant the harsh tone he was giving you.

“No.” You said. “I like your room.”

“I wouldn’t care if you didn’t.” he said flatly.

You glanced back toward the door, was it too late to ask for someone else? Your thoughts were interrupted when you felt something but up against your new turtle feet. A small tortoise looked up at you with bright eyes, he was cute so you reached your hand down in an attempt to pet it but it snapped at you. “Gah!” You stumbled back and fell into the drum set.

Time seemed to stand still as a crescendo resonated through the room. A cymbal landed on top of your head and you winced, chancing a look in Raphael’s direction. Getting used to this new body would take some getting used to.

“Geez, what a pain.” He said, getting up out of the bed to help you up. Once you were on your feet he pointed toward a beanbag chair in the corner, “Just go sit over there and don’t touch anything.” He said before turning his attention to rebuilding his drum set.

“I’m sorry.” You said, plopping down into the chair as you were instructed, the tortoise who’d startled you gave you a smug look before crawling into its bed. The word  _Fragile_  was scrawled on the front of the bed, fragile? Yeah right.

“You know,” he said after a few minutes. “I find it hard to believe that you just happened to turn into a turtle like us. I mean every other person who’s come into contact with the mutagen has become horribly disfigured and disgusting.” He said, not noticing the underlying complement he’d given you. Did that mean you weren’t disgusting?

He placed the final drum in its proper place and turned his attention back to you “So, what’s your deal?”

“My deal?” you asked.

“Yeah, how did you end up being mutated?” he asked. 

“I’m an apprentice and my mentor was kidnapped. I was out looking for clues when I was…exposed to this green Jell-O stuff. I woke up in the alley where you guys found me.” You said.

“Idiot, that neighborhood is Purple Dragon territory, you could have been attacked or worse.” He said and behind his tone you could sense a genuine concern for your well-being. “You should have gone to the police.”

“I did.” You said. “They said they’d look into it. I couldn’t wait on them so I had to investigate on my own.”

“Great idea, genius, now look at you.” He said, gesturing to your new form.

“You don’t understand. The professor is like a father to me. When I moved here I had nothing and I was going to end up on the streets. The professor helped me get into the science program at the university, he helped me find a place to live. There’s no doubt in my mind that wouldn’t be here if not for him. I’d risk my life to save him.” You caught a hint of empathy behind Raphael’s eyes, was it because he had a mentor like that too? Perhaps Splinter?

“Even so, you had no business being out there by yourself, you’re lucky that the worst thing that happened to you was getting mutated.” He said, “The Purple Dragons are no joke.”

“I walk those streets all the time by myself and nothing has ever happened. I’m not really worried about it.” You said.

“Oh really? Okay, Hotshot.” He said before standing up, “Show me what you would do if you were, by random chance, attacked by one of them.” He took a stance in the center of his room. If you didn’t know better you’d think he’d fit right in with that no good street gang. “Pretend I’m going to attack you.” He said.

“But that’s not real.” You said. “If I don’t actually feel threatened then-” You were cut off when he grabbed your wrist tightly.

He tossed you down on his bed with ease and pinned your hands down on either side of your head, the malice in his eyes was unmistakable. You struggled and tried to kick him off but couldn’t. He was ten times stronger, there was nothing you could do. You shut your eyes tightly, too scared to move.

Raphael let you go and stood up again and you opened your eyes to see him standing there with a disappointed look on his face. “Real enough for you?” he asked.

“Yes.” You breathed.

“You said you’d be fine, what exactly was your plan for getting out of that one?” he asked. “An attack is an attack, real or not.” He said. “You need to fight like your life depends on it because, out there,” he gestured to the world above, “it usually does.”

The room fell silent as you let his words sink in. New York had been in a state of decline ever since the Purple Dragons and the Foot Clan started vying for control of the city. Aside from that, you were living in near the college, reports of sexual assault were commonplace at your university.

“Now, get up, I need to be up early.” He said, shaking you from your thoughts as he yanked you up off his bed. He hopped onto his bed and turned off the jack-o-lantern lamp above his bed, leaving you in the dark.

“Hey, wait, where am I supposed to sleep.” You asked.

“Let me think, is that my problem? Ooh, no sorry. It’s not.” He said before rolling over in his bed so his back was toward you. You let out a huff of frustration. Why did you think picking him would be a good idea, again?

You thought of sleeping on the beanbag chair but it was way too small so you decided to lie on the floor. The rug wasn’t too bad and actually provided an, albeit minuscule, bit of warmth.  You rested your head on the crook of your arm and stared at the sleeping tortoise, hopefully it wouldn’t murder you in your sleep.

You rolled over so that your back was toward Raphael and sighed softly resigning yourself to your fate when suddenly, a pillow and blanket landed on top of you. Glancing behind you, you saw that Raphael shift back into his previous position. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.  You wrapped the blanket around you and nuzzled your snout into the pillow.

Taking in a long whiff you suddenly felt secure, the scent was spicy and sweet, like cinnamon. You relaxed and the events of the day finally caught up to you so it didn’t take long for sleep to claim you.

* * *

The next morning you woke up to the sound of the tortoise munching on a leaf, turning to check on Raphael only to discover that he was gone. You gathered the pillow and blanket he’d lent to you and fixed his bed before going out to find him.

The lair was silent except for a constant thumping sound coming from beyond the hallway. You followed it and found yourself standing in front of, what could only be described as a small gym. Raphael was in the corner ramming his fists into a punching bag. You were captivated by his concentration and the way his muscles moved with each hit.

You wandered into the gym and screwed up your courage, all night you’d been plagued by visions of just how vulnerable you were. “Um, Raphael.” You asked.

His movements stopped instantly and he turned to face you. “What?”

“How um… how exactly would I get out of that situation?”

“What situation?” he asked.

“You know, if I was pinned down by someone. How would I get out of that?” You could tell he wasn’t expecting that by the way he flinched. “Sorry dumb question. There’s no way, is there?” he didn’t answer you, instead he swept his leg out and you fell backwards onto the mat. He climbed on top of you and pinned you down again, his hands wrapped around your wrists with your hands on either side of your head.

“Keep your feet planted on the ground, never leave them flat, you need leverage.” He said. “Now hook your right foot behind mine.” You struggled a bit but managed to do as he told you. “Now your hands, slide your right hand up toward your left side.” You did and you felt his weight shift slightly, his base was gone. “Good. Now roll to your left.” The moment you did you found that you were now on top of him, free to attack his face if you wanted to.

“Whoa.” You breathed as you stood up, offering Raphael your hand to help him up.

“It’s not that big a deal.” He said, ignoring your hand in order to jump to a stand. Show off.

“You asked what my plan was, it was to give up.” You finally admitted, “You are stronger and bigger, I was too scared to fight back because I didn’t want to make the situation worse.”

“Don’t say that. I don’t care who your attacker is.  _Never_  be afraid to fight back.” He said, his sharp words causing you to flinch as if he’d hit you. “If you fight long enough you will eventually get a chance to get away.” He said.

“Get away? Shouldn’t I fight them so they learn not to attack innocent people?” You asked.

“No. If you aren’t a fighter like me and my brothers then your main goal is survival.” He said.

You let his words sink in and thought back on last night. You were in your mentor’s lab, back turned toward the door. You didn’t even hear the Kraang until it was too late. One of them grabbed you from behind, you were completely defenseless. And you got the feeling that it was your chance to escape. If you knew any basic self-defense then you wouldn’t be a turtle now.

“What if you are attacked from behind?” you asked. “Like if they grab you around your body with your arms pinned at your sides?”

“Easy.” He said then wrapped you up in the attack position you described. “Grab my arms.” He said, “Then drop your weight.” You did as you were instructed and dangled from his arms as you waited for him to continue. “Now you can stomp on my foot then kick me in the groin.” You lifted your foot to do just that and he released you, causing you to lose balance so that he could pin you on the ground again.

“Hey!” you protested then he pinned your arms down like he did earlier. He wanted you to show him if you remembered what he taught you. Okay. You hooked your foot around his and dragged your arm up, twisting your body so that you were on top of him. You went to punch him in the face but he caught your hand at the last moment. Then frowned as he studied your fist. “What?”

“Move your thumb to the side, it shouldn’t be over your fingers like that.” He said

You looked at your fist and corrected yourself before punching the air in a test jab. “Cool.”

“Now don’t get ahead of yourself. It takes more than knowing the moves to get away from an attacker. You have to practice until the moves become a reflex.” You nodded and got up off the ground with him. “If you want, I can show you more.” He said before returning to his punching bag.

“Really?” you asked.

“I mean, it would be a huge pain but I think everyone should have a basic understanding of self-defense.” He said.

“Okay, then.” You smiled. And just like that you found something that would make your time with Raphael a little more bearable.


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

**The Second Chapter**

* * *

“Um, what is this hell move called again?” You asked in a strained voice, your body was on fire, screaming at you for making it work in ways you’d never asked of it before.

“It’s called a plank.” Raphael said. He’d spent the last two hours teaching you the proper way to strengthen your core muscles. “Hold it for thirty more seconds.” He said. “And don’t forget to breathe.”   

“This is the worst.” You complained, you could feel your arms shake against their discomfort.

“Yeah, well, you asked for this.”

“When!?” you were offended, at no point during your interaction with Raphael, had you asked to join his hellish regiment of self-torture. “I only wanted to learn a few moves so I could defend myself.”

“Knowing the moves ain’t enough.” He said. “They mean nothing if you don’t have power to put behind them.” He said. “Time.” He called.

“Ugh!” You let out an exaggerated breath as you let your body fall to the mat beneath you. “This sucks.” You said and rolled over, your body was buzzing with new sensations and you knew you’d be feeling it later.

“Heh.” At that smug laugh, you lifted your head to look Raphael in the eyes. “I’m not surprised that someone like you can’t handle it.” He crossed his arms over his chest and glanced down at you.

“Just what the heck is that supposed to mean?”

“Hey, it’s okay. Without the weak then there’d be no way to measure strength.” He laughed.

 You ignored your aching body as you climbed to your feet. “I can handle anything you dish out!” you said, poking his plastron in-between words. 

“S’at so?” he asked. “Yeah well, we’ll see where you stand tomorrow. If you can stand, that is.” He said, getting one more jab in by, poking you in the ribs, knowing they were growing sore.

You were about to throw an insult his way when you heard a commotion coming from the common area. “Where the heck is everyone?” You knew that voice, it was Casey, just how many people from school knew about the turtles? First Irma, now Jones?

When you’d reached the living room with Raphael, you saw Casey Jones standing at the entrance. The other turtles emerged from various rooms, wondering what was going on.

“Dudes! My friend stinky Pete, says something big’s going down at the street fight warehouse, word is that Hun is looking to strike a deal with the leader of the Crimson Tides.”

“The Crimson Tides?!” you exclaimed, “The street gang whose motto is:  **Stain the east river with the blood of our enemies.** ”

“Yep, that’s the one.” Casey said, then paused. “Uh… one, two, three, four…five?” he counted, pointing to each turtle then at you. “What’s going on? Who’s this?”

“Casey this is…” Raphael started to say.

“Neo-Turtle!” Michelangelo interjected before throwing his arm around your shoulder, “great name, right?” his smile faltered when you didn’t agree right away. “It took me all night to come up with it.”

“I like it.” you said, not wanting to hurt the jovial turtle’s feelings. “It sounds cool.”

“Yes! I knew it.” He beamed, making you feel warm inside.

“Hey, I get it! New turtle.” Casey said. “Nice one, Mikey.”

“Thanks.”

“Alright.” Leonardo said, clearly he was finished with the new name conversation. “So what’s this about Hun and the Crimson Tides?” Leonardo asked.

“The Purple Dragons decided that they needed to expand and so they are forming treaties with the other gangs, if they reach an agreement with the Crimson Tides then it won’t be long before the other gangs follow. It’s all going down tonight, one of the biggest fight nights.”

“Aw, yeah, let’s go kick some Purple Dragon butt.” Raphael said. Your eyes widened, was he serious? As far as you could tell the turtles only used ancient weapons. They’d be no match against guys with semi-automatic guns.

“Stand down, Raph.” Leonardo said. “It’s too risky. It can go one of two ways. Either the gangs agree to join forces or they don’t and a turf war breaks out. Either way there will be too many gang members to contend with.”

“Oh, please, they aren’t as strong as the foot, we got this in the bag.” Raphael said.

“There is always strength in numbers, Raph.” Leonardo said. “Look, bottom line is that it doesn’t matter if they join forces or not, until they actually do something to earn a butt kicking, it isn’t our problem.”

Raphael tensed up next to you, it was the same stiffness his body held last night after you told him you’d give up a fight. “So much for  _fearless_  leader.”

“This has nothing to do with fear, this is about choosing our battles. It’s about not kicking a hornet’s nest.” Leonardo said. The leader in blue had a point, but looking at Raphael, you got the feeling that he didn’t feel the same and that this wasn’t over.

* * *

Later that night, you were roused from sleep by the sound of someone shuffling about the room. You peered through your eyelashes and watched while Raphael gathered his weapons and slipped out of his room. You waited a few moments before deciding to follow him.

He crept past the, now empty, living room and hurried over the turnstiles and out of sight. You ran after him as silently as you could, your body was still aching from your exercises. You crawled under the turnstiles and rounded a corner just in time to see Casey and Raphael make their way up to the surface.

When you exited the sewer you found yourself in an empty alley, it was eerily quiet and the air had a cold bite to it. You headed to the end of the alley but could see no sign of Raphael or Casey. You weren’t too far behind them, how did you lose them so quickly? That didn’t matter, you had a hunch about where the pair were headed.

You made your way down the sidewalk, careful to stay out of sight. You knew this area well and you were only about five blocks from the warehouse district. As you got closer to your destination you could hear the commotion of rambunctious gang members as they hooted and hollered for the next fight to start.

You discovered that your hunch was right when you noticed Raphael and Casey sneaking into the warehouse through the entrance on the roof. Below them was the scariest bouncer you’d ever seen. You cursed, how were you supposed to get in? It didn’t take long for you to get your answer.

“Lookie what we got here, Ricky, one of them Ninja Turtle freaks!” You wheeled around as a pair of hands grabbed you from behind. You struggled for a moment before remembering what Raphael had taught you. Dropping your weight, you threw the guy off balance enough to kick him in the shin. “Son of a-”He let you go but you fell forward into Ricky’s waiting arms.

“Let me go!” you struggled but Ricky was stronger than the guy who’d grabbed you.

“You got a lot of guts, kicking Smalls like that.” Ricky held your arms behind your back to keep you from struggling. You let out a grunt of frustration, being weak wasn’t fun at all. You made a promise to yourself, if you got out of this you’d never complain about Raphael’s brand of training again.

You stiffened when you heard the sound of a switch blade as it clicked into place. “Let’s shell this turtle freak.” the gang member named Smalls had recovered from your attack and was approaching you with the biggest knife you’d ever seen.

When Smalls entered your personal space, you squeezed your eyes shut, you didn’t want his stupid face to be the last thing you saw before you died. You conjured up an image of someone special, your mentor… no, his face was molding into someone else. Raphael? Really? No, it’s only because you really need him now. Yeah. That’s it.

“Hold up, Smalls, I have a better idea.” Ricky said. “I say we enter it in the fights. Once everyone sees that we captured a Ninja Turtle then we’ll rise in the ranks.” Ricky said. “Plus I’m sure everyone will really enjoy the show, this turtle getting beaten to death.”

“Ooh, I like that idea, Rick.” Smalls turned back toward you, drawing his knife closer to you, letting you get a good look before retracting the blade. “Looks like you get to live for a few more hours.”

You swallowed hard against the lump in your throat, your only solace was that these idiots didn’t know you weren’t a Ninja Turtle, and that they wouldn’t be rising in any ranks once their buddies found out. Jerks.

You were shoved forward sharply as Ricky released your arms, “Any sudden moves and I drop you were you stand.” He warned, drawing a gun from the back of his pants.

You rolled your eyes, you were going to die anyway and a bullet would be much faster. That dark thought was quickly purged by a vision of Raphael’s angered face,  _“Never stop fighting!”_

Okay, you decided to try it Raphael’s way and comply until you were able to escape. As long as you were alive there was a chance.

The pair shoved you into a side entrance of the warehouse, bypassing the bouncer. Once inside you cringed at the smell of blood, sweat and weed, the mixture of scents was sweet in a way that warned of danger. You nearly gaged on the stench.

Looking forward you noticed a huge caged boxing ring in the center of the warehouse, the place looked like a small stadium and it would have been impressive if not for the crowd. In the center of the ring stood a rather large, intimidating bear mutant.

You were pushed ever forward by the two gang members and once you reached the ring Ricky pulled you to a stop while Smalls grabbed the microphone from the announcer.

“Yo, all yous listen up.” Smalls said, and the crowd fell silent, “As a treat on this most special of occasions, my pal Ricky and I present you with a Ninja Turtle.” He shoved you through the open cage door and into the ring, you stumbled and glanced up at the large bear mutant.

The crowd booed and hissed, some of them were calling for your immediate demise. You stared down at your feet, unable to bare the look of hatred on their faces. “Yeah, I feel the same way but why not let this freak duke it out with Grinder here. I think that would be a great show, what do yous think?” Smalls finished and the crowd began cheering once more.

The microphone let out a loud screech as Smalls dropped it onto the table, in front of the announcer, who promptly scooped it up and said, “Well, the crowd has spoken, let’s give them what they want.” He said then rang the bell, signifying the start of the fight.

Grinder wasted no time in crossing the ring to swipe at you and you quickly jumped out of his range. Using the art of running away you scurried around the ring in an attempt to keep the bear man away from you.

Grinder let out a growl as he was growing particularly frustrated at your evasive moves. “Turn and fight!” he said, his voice was surprisingly high pitched for such a large mutant.

“Can’t we talk about this?” you asked, holding your arms up in a non-confrontational way.

“I only speak fists.” He said.

“Fair enough,” you paused, “in that case, can I have a translator?”

“You got a smart mouth!” he jumped at you, managing to grab you, his large hairy paw hand wrapped around your neck tightly and he lifted your off the ground. You began choking as his nails dug into your skin, you saw stars and within moments you felt yourself teetering on the edge of consciousness.

Suddenly, Grinder released you, tossing you to the ground roughly before stomping down on your shell. You gasped for breath and ignored the pain as he ground the heel of his foot into your carapace. “I thought you Ninja Turtles could fight, this is pathetic. I should just snap your spine and be done with it.”


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

**The Third Chapter**

* * *

You learned firsthand why they called him Grinder as your shell began to crack beneath the pressure of his massive heel. “This is just pathetic.” he laughed, “How am I supposed to build my reputation when. you. wont. fight. back?” He asked, emphasizing each word by digging his heel into your back.

“Ooo, looks like Grinder’s going with his signature move.” The commentator said. “This is the end folks!”

Then, you heard a few familiar voices as they instigated a chant, it was a slow build and you couldn’t make out the words, but as the chant gained more voices you heard, “Lift the cage!”

Huh? The cage, among other things, noting Grinders foot, was the only thing keeping you from escaping. Why on earth would they lift the cage? Idiots. But, to your surprise, the cage lifted, retreating to an unknown place in the ceiling.

With the ring free and open, relief washed over you, if you could manage to get out from under Grinder then you could escape. Like Raphael said, survive and get away.  

Then, someone hurled a crowbar into the ring. The rusty tool whooped through the air with such speed that its curved claw got stuck in the floor upon impact, stopping just short of your face. “Shell’em, Grinder!” The previous owner of the crowbar called.

Grinder pulled the crowbar free with one swift yank, taking a bit of the floor up as he did. “Well, I was going to grind you to dust but who am I to disappoint the fans.” He leaned down, “Any last words, turtle?” he asked, offering you a toothy yellow grin.

“Yeah, just a few words of advice,” You said, “leaning over like that might throw you off balance!” you rolled your body to the side and Grinder lost his footing, falling against the ropes beyond.

“Looks like you got some fight in you, after all.”  Grinder said. “Too bad it’s not enough to beat me.” He turned, bounced off the ropes, and used the momentum to kick you to the opposite side of the ring.

Before you could recover, Grinder lifted you up by your wrist and let you dangle helplessly. You struggled and tried to kick Grinder but all he had to do was hold you at arm’s length to get you out of range. “Put me down, you overgrown stuffed animal!”

Grinder laughed and tapped the crowbar against your shell, “I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve always wanted to see what’s under a turtle’s shell.” Grinder threw your body to the ground.

You bounced a few times and landed on your stomach a few inches from the sidelines. Your escape was so tantalizingly close but you were too dazed to move; it was like your brain had been run through a blender and subsequently poured back into your head through your ear.

“I thought I told you not to stop fighting.” said a voice that sounded a lot like Raphael’s. You hummed, it was comforting to think about him, a goofy smile tugged your lips upward. “Idiot, why the shell are you smiling?” Huh? You lifted your head and saw Raphael standing next to the ring wearing a trench coat that did little to hide who he was. “Don’t just lie there.” He said.

Grinder headed toward you once more, poised to jam the hook of the crowbar beneath your carapace, ready to pry it from your body. Raphael tossed off is disguise, and before his coat even hit the ground he was in the ring, blocking Grinder’s attack with his sai.

“Another turtle?” Grinder’s mouth crept into a slow smile. “Well, ain’t this my lucky day. I’m gonna make a pair of matching chairs from your hides.” Grinder applied a bit more pressure to his weapon and Raphael’s foot began sliding; it was obvious that Grinder had the advantage in strength.

Then, Grinder hooked the crowbar between the prongs of one sai and wrench it out of Raphael’s hand, it flew across the ring and landed a few feet away. But, your red clad hero didn’t give up, instead he focused holding Grinder back with both hands his remaining sai. “Oh, trying to protect them, huh? What are you, lovers or something?” Grinder said. “Disgusting.”

“Someone as ugly as you should be careful about using words like disgusting.” Raphael shoved Grinder back a few steps after he gained a rush of power. It wasn’t much but it was enough for Raphael to land a right hook to Grinder’s face.

Grinder snarled, allowing his animal half to take over, and when he turned back to face Raphael you saw true rage in his bear eyes. “You know what?” Grinder said to Raphael, “I’m going to make you watch while I skin your mate alive and **then**  I’m gonna kill you.”

Grinder lunged for you but Raphael shifted his body just enough to block Grinder’s attack. Unfortunately, Raphael’s new position left him vulnerable to attack, which Grinder happily exploited by whipping the crowbar across Raphael’s face. “Wait your turn!” Grinder ordered.

This was bad. Raphael couldn’t focus on fighting Grinder when he had to worry about you. “Stop it!” You managed to push yourself up onto all fours only to have Grinder hammer kick you back down to the ground.

“Ugh, What’s the matter,” Raphael’s voice was strained as he peeled himself up off the ground. “too scared to fight someone who can actually kick your ass?” At that, Grinder pounced on Raphael and began punching him relentlessly.

Adrenaline kicked in and you dragged your screaming body across the ring to retrieve Raphael’s forgotten sai. You picked it up, and through sheer force of will you stood up, ran toward Grinder, and stabbed him as hard as you could.

With a cry, Grinder stumbled back and ripped the sai from his flesh. He tossed it to the ground and thrusted his fist toward you, but it never made contact.

 Fully armed once more, Raphael had Grinder’s wrist trapped between the tines of both of his sais. Raphael’s eyes were pure white, deadly, as he gave his weapons a sharp twist in opposite directions. Grinder’s wrist broke and you could hear every agonizing crack. Ugh.

But, Raphael wasn’t finished. He leapt onto the top rope and bounced into the air, bringing the butt of his sai down on Grinder’s head. Grinder’s eyes rolled back and he fell forward, unconscious. Raphael landed next to you and scooped you up in his arms.

By this time, the crowd was throwing death threats and profanities your way for ruining their joyous celebration. How dare you, you thought bitterly.

 Raphael jumped out of the ring and carried you across the warehouse, ducking and dodging, as a hailstorm of bullets and other projectiles began raining down upon you.

“Raph! This way!” You heard Casey say as he ushered you out a side door. “Keep going, I’ll make sure they don’t follow.” Casey hopped into the cab of a nearby forklift; Two huge crates sat stacked on the forks. Casey lifted the forks as high as they would go and the forklift toppled over, effectively blocking your pursuers.

Raphael hoisted you up onto his back and so he could focus on climbing the neighboring warehouse. Once you were on the roof you began to wonder what his plan was. You got your answer when he began running, his speed was nothing to mess with, and soon, he was headed for the edge of the building. You barely had time to scream for him to watch out, before he took a mighty leap across the alley, landing on the next roof.

This harrowing mode of transportation lasted a few blocks before Raphael finally stopped to let you down. You backed away from him, your legs shaking uncontrollably, and sat down on a nearby ledge. “That was crazy!” you said. “I think I’m gonna puke.”

Raphael wheeled around, his face, unreadable but tight. “No, what’s crazy is the fact that you were in the ring with Grinder! You could have been killed.” he burst. “What the shell were you doing at the Warehouse anyway!?”

“I saw you sneak out of the lair and I followed you.” Probably not the best thing to admit but you couldn’t bring yourself to lie to him, not after creating so much chaos.

“You did what? That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever—" his voice got caught in his throat; Hand clutching his side, Raphael crumpled down to one knee as sharp short puffs of air escaped his lips. “Shit.”

“Raphael?” you sank down next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “What’s wrong?” You asked, and that’s when you noticed rivers of blood seeping through his fingers, stark red against his green skin. “Oh No. Raphael!” you pulled his hand away and saw the end of a shiv sticking out of his side, just below his ribs.

“Must’ve got me when the crowd started throwing stuff.” He whispered, “It’s not a big deal…” He reached up to remove the foreign object from his body.

You swatted his hand away, “Don’t touch it! We need to take care of this properly.”

“Lair’s only a few blocks from here.” He wheezed.

“Are you nuts? You can’t seriously be thinking about building jumping in that condition.” He was lucky to jump as many buildings as he had a few moments ago.

“What choice do I have? Donnie’s the only one who can fix me up. And besides, you can’t drag me through the alleyways and remain unseen.” He said. “So rooftop running it is, let’s go.” He made a move that told you to hop on his back.

“No! Please wait,” you said. He rolled his eyes impatiently but waited nonetheless. “I can take care of this, I just need…” you glanced around and spotted a solution at the bottom of a neighboring building. “There’s a clinic!” You said. “I’ll can steal the supplies I need from there.” Your face dropped as anxiety raked through your veins.

“Right…” Raphael said dryly. “Well, the face you are making doesn’t exactly fill me with a whole lot of confidence in your thieving abilities. I can tell you ain’t never stole anything in your life.” He was right, the last time you attempted to steal something, you were just a kid, but the lesson you took away from the experience was more than enough to keep you from doing it again.  

“Maybe not, but sometimes doing the right thing means you have to do something bad.” You said, and as much as the idea of stealing from a clinic left a bitter taste in your mouth, you couldn’t see any way around it.

“You’re nuts and it’s an unnecessary risk. Forget it.” he said.

“Why are you being so stubborn? You’re allowed to save my life but I can’t save yours?” You noticed Raphael’s eyes dilate, he was trying to hold back how much pain he was in. “I’m not arguing about this, and it’s not as if you can stop me at the moment anyway.”

He rolled his eyes, “And I’m stubborn.” After a short pause he gave in and said, “If you ain’t back within ten minutes I’m going in after you, even if I bleed to death.”

“Ten minutes.” you said. “Got it.”

* * *

 

Nine minutes and fifty-eight seconds later you returned with a bag of medical supplies. “Made it.” you announced triumphantly but when there was no response from Raphael, you began to panic. You saw him propped up against the wall, sleeping with his chin resting on his plastron. “No, Raph, don’t fall asleep.”

You hurried to his side and carefully moved him into the recovery position before shoving your three fingered hands into a pair of gloves. You continued to try and coax Raphael from the grips of sleep while you readied the disinfectant. You carefully removed the rusty shiv and blood gushed from the wound. You quickly cleared it up in order to assess the damage. The wound was pretty deep and its edges were already red with infection. Crap. “Please, No.”

You poured some disinfectant on a square of gauze and applied pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding. “You gotta wake up.” No response. “Come on Raph.” Again, no response.

Time to switch up your tactics, “I didn’t think you were this weak.” You provoked, your voice trembling. If anything happened to him you’d never forgive yourself.

“Who… you calling… weak?” His head lulled to the side so he could get a better look at you, his bright green eyes of his were hazy with pain.

“Oh, Raph.” You gave him a sympathetic smile and placed a gentle hand on his forehead. He was warm.

“_____” he slurred and the way your name rolled off his tongue sent a shiver down your spine. “You’re pretty… badass…” The last of Raphael’s words died in his throat as his body began convulsing.

 


	5. Chapter 5

 

* * *

**The Fourth Chapter**

* * *

 

Raphael’s body began shaking uncontrollably and you had to resist the urge to hold him down, doing so would only hurt him more. Still, it was hard to watch and you could feel tears sting the corners of your eyes. You blinked them away, this wasn’t the time to panic.

After a few moments Raphael’s convulsions stopped, “Raphael?” you chanced. When there was no response you decided to place a gentle hand on his shoulder, you almost had to pull away from the intense heat that radiated off his skin. This was all happening too soon for a mere infection. The only explanation was that the shiv must’ve been coated in something. Poison.

You glanced over at the offensive object and ran through possible poisons that would cause the reaction Raphael was having. Your head started spinning, it could be any number of things including his mutant DNA. You didn’t know where to start.

Then, as if answering your unspoken thoughts, a ringtone sounded and you fumbled at Raphael’s belt until you retrieved his Tphone. It was Donatello. You answered.

“Donatello!”

“_____?” Donatello sounded concerned, it was obvious that he wasn’t expecting to hear your voice coming through his brother’s phone.

“Raphael’s been stabbed, I think the blade was laced with some kind of poison!” you said louder than you needed to.

“What?” Donatello asked. “Alright, I’m tracking his phone, Leo and Mikey will be there soon.” He said. “If he was poisoned, I‘ll need samples from the blade in order to create an antidote.” With the help of Donatello’s instructions and a handy app on Raphael’s phone you managed to send the samples quickly. You ended the phone conversation so that Donatello could get to work and turned your attention back to your red warrior.

Raphael’s breathing quickened and you could see a sheen of sweat coating his skin. A tightness developed in your throat. “I’m so sorry, Raphael. I never should have followed you. You wouldn’t be in this mess if you didn’t have to save me from Grinder.” You noticed that your words seemed to calm Raphael down somewhat and you continued.

“You know, I love New York, since I was little there was always something calling me here, when I got the chance to enter this program with my mentor, I took it and never looked back.” You admitted. “and now that I’m here, it’s everything I imagined it would be.” Raphael’s head relaxed into your lap and your fingers came to rest on his smooth forehead.

“Except…I miss the stars.” You said. “Where I used to live you could see millions of them. Looking up at them always made my problems seem so small. It would remind me that it is okay to live my life because I am here for a reason, that I actually do belong here, I guess that sounds stupid, huh?” a sad smile tugged at the corner of your mouth. You’d give anything for him to give you a sarcastic comment right now.

“Over there!” you recognized Michelangelo’s voice and waved the two turtles over. Mikey fell down to one knee at your side, his baby blues offering you a small bit of relief.

* * *

 

**000 later 000**

* * *

 

You removed a warm cloth from Raphael’s forehead and dipped in in a bucket of cool water, ringing it out you placed it back on his forehead. Thanks to Donatello’s antidote, Raphael’s fever was manageable. He would be fine. Sighing, you sat down on the floor next to Raphael and kept a close eye on him.

Something cool nudged at your ankle and you looked down to see a Spike staring up at you. And if you weren’t mistaken you could swear that his eyes were filled with worry. “He’ll be okay.” You said, more so to convince yourself than Spike.

You took Raphael’s hand in yours, the steady rise and fall of his chest lulling you to sleep. Your eyelids grew heavy, in all the chaos you didn’t notice how tired you were…

When you woke up, you discovered that Raphael’s bed was empty, except for Spike, who was now curled up on Raphael’s pillow. You shot up, knocking he bed so violently that Spike lifted his head to see what was wrong. He gave you a look before laying his head back down.

You decided to search for Raphael and exited the room. From the living room, you could the remains of a heated exchange between Raphael and Leonardo.

“Casey came to the lair when you didn’t meet up with him. He figured something happened to you and he spilled the beans.” Leonardo said.

“Leo, I’m not in the mood for a lecture right now.” Raphael said, pinching the bridge of his beak in a manner that told you of his impending headache.

“That’s too bad.” Leonardo said. “You went to the warehouse, anyway? You can’t take on that many guys. What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking that some of us have a responsibility to keep this city safe. And if that ain’t you then it’s gotta be me.” Raphael challenged.

“And what about ______?”

“Like I knew they were following me.” Raphael said.

“That isn’t the point.” Leonardo countered.

“I protected _______, didn’t I? I’m even teaching _____ self-defense.” Raphael said.

“I’m sorry, what?” Leonardo’s voice was straining now. “And having _____ get the crap beat out of them by a bunch of gang members is your crash course?”

“No.”

“______ could have been killed.”

“You think I don’t I know that?” Raphael said, the slight quiver in his voice letting you know how guilty he felt.

“When you are on your own you can act as reckless and stupid as you want.” Continued Leonardo, “But when there are other people involved you need to stop and think about them.”  

“I know what I’m doing.” Raphael said.

“Then act like it.” Leonardo said, bumping Raphael in the shoulder before stalking in your direction. Raphael clenched a fist and headed in the other direction, toward Donatello’s lab.

Leonardo entered the hall meeting your eye as he did, unfazed by the fact that you were eavesdropping. Or maybe he wanted you to hear. Still, you felt shame at being caught and were glad when the blue-banded turtle entered his room.

You couldn’t worry about Leonardo at the moment, right now, you had to talk to Raphael, apologize for getting him hurt and thank him for saving your life.

You entered the lab but there was no sign of Raphael, or Donatello for that matter. You wandered a little deeper and caught slight of the Shellraiser. Thrown together with crude parts and graffiti, it was the single most badass thing you’d ever seen.

That is until, your journey brought you to the back to of the subway car where you saw a pristine cherry-red motorcycle.

You wandered over to it and caught your reflection in the paint, there were flecks of silver glitter that sparkled as you studied its awesome craftsmanship. You’d always been a little fascinated by motorcycles and how freeing it must feel to zip past cars in traffic.

The bike seemed to be put together by salvaged parts too but, unlike the Shellraiser, with style rather than practicality in mind. You couldn’t resist any longer, you gently ran your hand along the smooth red paint and shining chrome.

“That’s a good way to lose a hand.” You pulled your hand back at Raphael’s dangerous tone. “What, you didn’t get enough of a beat down last night?” He asked.

“My bad.” You said. “I was just looking at it. It’s nice. Did you build it yourself?”

“Yep, from the ground up.” Raphael said. “When I am on the road nothing matters, it feels like I can keep driving forever. Nothing to hold me back.”

“You think your family holds you back?”

“No, not exactly.” He trailed off. “Look, I love my family, but they’re just okay with the hand we’ve been dealt. They’re okay with hiding underground for, probably, the rest of our lives. We’re turtles, do you know how long we live?” he asked, you shook your head. “A long-ass time. I’m not good with staying like this forever.”

“Raphael…” you started but trailed off when he handed you his helmet. “Seriously?” you looked at him with wide eyes, a combination of fear and excitement tore through you. He nodded and you took the helmet and put it on. Raphael slid onto his bike and you followed him.

“Hold on.” He said and you timidly placed your hands on the back of his carapace. He let out a sound of annoyance and grabbed your wrists, wrapping your arms around his waist as far as they would go. And, though you were wearing a helmet you felt warm at the contact.

He started the bike and took off through the subway tunnel. The vibration of the bike made your heart race, not to mention you were very aware of the way Raphael was breathing. You could tell that he was happy. Then you came to the surface, the fresh air hit you in refreshing waves. It was invigorating.

Raphael tore through the city, it was empty but in the distance you could hear party goers and the music of the streets. When you reached the outskirts of the city, Raphael parked his bike and shook your hands from his body. You pulled back, aware now of how stiff you’d become.

“Where are we?” you asked, the New York skyline seemed so distant now.

“You’ll see, come on.” You followed Raphael until he came to a stop and pulled back a bush, revealing a lake, the stars reflected in its waters made it seem like you were standing in space.

You looked at Raphael for a moment, had he heard you talking last night?

“This is where I like to come to think. No one knows about it but me… and now, you.” Raphael said and before you could say anything he stalked toward the bank. He looked so small and lost, nothing at all like the ruthless ninja you knew him to be. You slumped to the ground, tired, defeated.

You sat next to him and curled your legs up to your chest, holding onto them as you thought of what to say to him. “Leonardo’s wrong, if it wasn’t for you would have been killed.”

“You heard us didntja?” he sighed, his pride taking a hit at the fact that you heard him being reprimanded.

“I didn’t mean to.” You said.

“Well, he’s not wrong. I put you in danger.” Raphael said. “I shouldn’t have taken that risk and I shouldn’t be teaching you how to defend yourself.”

“Are you kidding me?” you crawled in front of him to look him in the eyes, “I never felt more alive than I did in that moment. I don’t want to run when I’m scared anymore.”

“You must have taken too many blows to the head.” He said. “Do you even know what you are saying?”

“Yes.” You said. “I want you to keep training me. I want to be a fighter.”

“This is insane.” Raphael said. “Leo would kill me.”

“I don’t want to be a burden, if I can fight too then that’s less work you have to do to protect me. You said it yourself, everyone should have a basic knowledge of self-defense. And besides, what Leo doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

“I don’t know which one of us is the bad influence on who here.” He said with a cheeky grin. “Alright, little ninja, you’re on.”

“Yes!” you gave a fist pump.

Suddenly, he grabbed your fist and yanked you closer, you could feel his warm breath on your skin, his spicy scent enveloping you. “This isn’t a game. I’m going to work your body in ways you’ve never experienced and I won’t let you quit. You better be sure you are ready for this.”

“More than ever, I want to do more than survive an attack.” You said and Raphael released you, nodding in acceptance.


End file.
